Cinematographic film winding mechanism



Patented Nov. 1, 1938 PATENT OFFICE CINMATOGRAPHIC FILM WINDING MiioiiANlsM Takeo Shimizu, Tokyo,

Japan, assignor to Zaidan Hojin Rikagaku Kenkyujo, Tokyo, Japan Application March 18, 1937, Serial No. 131,742 In Japan March 25, 1936 makes rewinding of the film in the cinematographic projector unnecessary, consisting of a vertical feeding axis thatsupports a horizontal lm-feeding dish, a winding axis that supports a reel which winds up the film, and a suitable motion-transmitting device which makes the two axes rotate with the same angular velocity, the motion being transmitted from the winding axis to the feeding axis.

In operation the function of the apparatus is such that when the coil of the film to be projected is layed on the film-feeding dish, and its interior end is passed through the projector and fastened to the winding reel, and when the projection is begun, the film-feeding dish executes such a rotation that the film; coil is not disordered, and at the end of the projection the film retakes accurately its original state that prevailed before the projection.

The purpose of the apparatus is to avoid the trouble of rewinding the film and also the damage of the film caused by rewinding by means of the simplest possible mechanism and manipulation.

The figures represent a practical embodiment of the invention.l Fig. 1 is the righi-hand view of the whole apparatus; Fig. 2 the back view of the apparatus; Fig. 3 the plan of the motiontransmitting device and the part that holds the winding reel; Fig. i a section taken on the line a-b of the parts shown in Fig. 3; and Fig.' 5 a figure illustrating the axial part o the winding reel.

In the iig'ures, I is the film coil; 2 the body of 4the case for preserving the film, at the same time serving as the feeding dish; 3 the stand for holding the feeding dish; 4 the feeding axis or shaft to which the stand 3 is attached; 5 a bevel-gear facing downward that forms the lower end of the feeding axis; 6 the bearing of the feeding shaft which keeps the axis thereof in the vertical direction; 1 the winding reel; 8 the part that holds the winding reel; 9 the pulley for rotating the winding shaft about its axis; I0 the bearing of the winding shaft; Il and I2 bevel gears of the same form and size as 5, facing toward left and right respectively; I3 the winding shaft to which 8, 9, II and I2 are fixed; I4 the supporting rod of the entire apparatus, which continues to the bearing I0 of the winding axis at its rear end, and which supports the sliding lever I1 which continues to the bearing 6 of the feeding axis, by means of the branch rods I5 and I6. The sliding lever I1 is pivoted at a point I8 of the branch rod I5, and rests upon onev of the three dents formed on the second branch rod I6, shown in Fig. 4. When it rests upon the middle dent, the bevel-gear 5 facing downward is not interlocked with the other gears, and the feeding dish can be rotated freely byv the hand, but when it rests on the right or left dent, the gear 5 is interlockedwith the gear facing left II or with that facing right I2, and the feeding shaft is rotated .with the same angular velocity as that of the Winding shaft due to the relation between gears stated above.

The holder 8 of the winding reel consistsof a cylinder 2| which has a number of stopping nails 20 that can be made to appear and disappear by turning the k'nob I9, and of a number of elastic pressing pieces 22 which lie parallelto the axis of the circular cylinder around it; and the winding reel 1 consists of a bushing 23 which fits to the outer surface of the cylinder 2|, and of a circular disc 25 which is iixed to one end of vthe bushing 23 to form a flange, and which has a number of holes 24 adjacent the bushing 23 to permit the springs 22 pass freely therein.

. Referringto Figure 1, 26 and 21 are the filmhangers by which the part of the film to be fed is suspended; 28 is the sprocket-wheel for forwarding the film, which forms a part of the projector; 29 is the ordinary device of giving intermittent motion to the lm; 30 is a cover attached to the winding reel so as to avoid the collapse of "the wound film coil; 3| is a belt to rotate the Winding pulley 9.

In use of the present apparatus, an empty reel 1 is first put on its holder 8 so that the spacing pieces 22 penetrate into the holes 24; the lid of the case for preserving lm is taken away, and the body of the case together with the filmcoil contained therein is placed on the stand 3; the interior end of the film coil is moved from the coil, and the lm suspended on the filmhangers 26 and 21; then after Abeing passed around the sprocket-wheel 28, the intermittent mechanism 29, and again around the sprocket- Wheel 28, the end of the film is arranged under one of the spring pieces 22, the fllmgoing over the rest of the pieces as shown in Fig. 5,' and in this way the connection between the film and the winding reel is effected; the cover 30 is put on the winding reel; the knob I9 is turned so that the stopping nails 20 x the reel 1 and its cover 30 in their position.' The bevel-gear 5 facingv downward is ordinarily interlocked with the gear facing left. When the projection is begun, the reel receives torque from the belt 3| and winds up, the part of the film which has passed the projector. At the same time the belt transmits its angular velocity of rotation to the feeding dish. But the length of thefllm wound up in a unit of time must be equal to that sent out from'the dish in the same time during projection, and the'A inner radius of the film coil is initially equal to the outer radius of the cylinder of the winding reel, because the coil is what was taken off from the same reel after the preceding projection. So that, although the quantities of the film in the two coils'hange with the progress of projection, the relation provides that the outer radius of the winding coil always remains the same as the inner radius of the feeding coil. Therefore the fact that the two reels rotate with the same angular velocity satises the condition, described above, that the lengths of the film sent out and wound up in a unit of time must be equal to each other; and hencelno disorder takes place in any part of the fllm. This is the main feature of the invention.

When the projection is ended, the stopping nails 20 are depressed by turning. the knob I9;

the reelI 'I and its cover 30 are taken off together from the winding shaft and put on the table with the cover side up; then the cover itself is removed, and the empty body of the'lm case is taken down from the standw3, put over the reel on the table upside down, and the whole is turned up as a unit. In that oase the film coil goes into the case freely, because the aggregate of the spring pieces of thev reel holder forms a larger circle than the bushing of the reel itself, and the initial part of the 'lm wound around the aggregate forms a. free ring which does not stick to the cylinder when the reelV is taken apart from the aggregate. The /case now containing the film may either be preserved with the lid put on, or may be used for a repeated projection. 'I'hus the film coil is brought to its vinitial state without any process o f rewinding. 'I'his is the merit of by the hand so as to unwind any excessive twist,

then the bevel-gear can be interlocked with the' gear I2 facing right which is not used ordinarily, and then the projection is to be started anew.

What is described above is a concrete exaxnple of the present invention, and the construction of all its parts may be 4changed in many ways without departing from the scope of the invention.

What I claim is:-

In cihematographic film winding apparatus, a winding shaft, means for rotatably supporting said winding shaft, a cylinder having stopping nails tted to one end of the shaft, elastic pressing pieces circumferentially arranged around the cylinder and extending parallel to the axis of the shaft, a film windingA reel provided with holes for receiving the nails and the elastic pressing member mounted on said cylinder, a pair of bevelled gear wheels mounted face to face in a spaced relation on the other end of the shaft, a vertical'shaft, a film feed ,disk secured to said vertical shaft, a bevelled gear mounted on said vertical shaft adjacent said pair of bevelled gears,

'a bearing for said Vertical shaft, a pivotably mounted lever connected to\said bearing so that movement thereof will cause engagement of the bevelled gear carried by the vertical shaft with one gear wheel of said pair, and means for guid tated. f

TAKEO SHIMIZU. 

